Toasted Red Lentil and Bulgur Patties

Traditionally these lentil-and-bulgur patties, a very common meze in southern Turkey, are served raw. They are shaped with wet hands to prevent sticking. Although they can be delicious raw if the spicing is right, the texture is on the mushy side. José Andrés adds his own brilliant touch, briefly toasting the mercimek köftesi he serves at Zaytinya, his eastern Mediterranean restaurant in Washington, D.C. The toasting makes all the difference.